Heartbeat
by UndeadDolly
Summary: With Noctis' impending marriage nearing, Prompto wonders if he ever meant anything at all to the young prince. He wakes up in Noctis' arms each night, asking himself if he was just a 'groupie' all along.


**Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.**

**Warning: Noctis/Prompto.**

**Note: Enjoy.**

**Summary: **With Noctis' impending marriage nearing, Prompto wonders if he ever meant anything at all to the young prince. He wakes up in Noctis' arms each night, asking himself if he was just a 'groupie' all along.

Chapter One

Of course, Noctis is a prince. He's also a celebrity, an influential public figure.

So, Noctis had social media accounts. He posted frequently, mostly photos of himself during business trips. He received many likes and comments, especially a lot of followers. It caught the attention of the Citadel, explicitly King Regis and Ignis Scientia who were concerned for his safety. It didn't matter to him, expressing his disdain at their overprotective nature online.

He was popular, his following now outranking other celebrities. He had gone live one day, just interacting with his followers and singing while playing various musical instruments. It had created a media frenzy the next day, even making national headlines in neighboring kingdoms. A crew of news reporters were camped outside of the Citadel, wanting to interview him or anyone associated.

He shrugged, laying down on his bed. He was bored, since his electronic devices had been confiscated. "I don't understand what the problem is. They'll go away, if you just give them a statement or let me talk to them."

His royal adviser sighed, rubbing his temples. "You are _not_ going to talk to them, let alone step a foot outside of your room. Is that clear, Your Highness?"

"Yeah, I get it," Noctis scoffed, his blues eyes lustrous, when the afternoon sunlight streamed in through the parted curtains and open balcony doors. "When can I get my phone back?"

"Your phone will be returned when everything settles down," Ignis scowled, tiding Noctis' room, but soon stopping. He hadn't noticed before, that the young prince was so taken with music. He picked up a violin, touching the strings and trying to decipher the sheet music placed on a stand. "I didn't know you played the violin."

"It's just something Luna taught me. Then I learned how to play other instruments on my own."

"What about singing? Where did you learn that?"

"I was just playing around."

"Your _fans_ think you have a great singing voice, though."

"They're not my _fans_. They're my citizens."

"If they are just your _citizens_, why are they asking you to go live and sing to them again?"

"I don't know, but I doubt you and my dad would ever let that happen again."

XOXO

As Noctis sulked, Ignis started contemplating.

Obviously, Ignis wanted his prince to be safe. It was his job, what he had been trained for his entire life. He would even give his own away, if that kept His Highness safe. He was prepared, to jump in harm's way and shield His Highness. He wasn't afraid, or even hesitant about doing so.

He didn't want to be the cause for His Highness' stunted growth, though. He didn't want to be the reason His Highness never lived a life of happiness, the reason His Highness never ventured out of the Citadel walls and interacted with citizens. It had been wrong of him to smother His Highness, imprison him within his own home, and hide him from Eos. It wasn't right, considering His Highness is far from a child, but a young man who Eos seeks to know.

He sat down, beside Noctis on the bed. His hand brushed Noctis' cheek, until glittering blue eyes bore into his own. "I think you're very talented at singing. Maybe you should share this talent of yours with the rest of the world."

His Highness frowned, elegant ebony eyebrows knitting together. "Aren't you the one who confiscated every electronic device I owned, though?"

"Once everything calms down, I promised you'll get them back," Ignis smiled, his eyeglasses glinting in the afternoon sun, making his emerald colored eyes close and accentuate his wide smile. "You may do as you please, just as long as you don't cause another media frenzy."

"I don't think that can be helped. I am the crown of prince of Lucis. I can't do or say anything, not without the media knowing," Noctis stated, turning over and burying his face into a pillow, though eventually reaching out and grabbing a picture of Lady Lunafreya off of his nightstand. "Sometimes I wonder what's she's doing."

"You must miss her a lot."

"No, I don't."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't miss her."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I don't love her."

"Oh, I see. I'll leave you now. You should get some rest."

"She doesn't love me, either."

"You should sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

The photo frame fell from His Highness' hand, then. It landed on top of the hardwood floor of His Highness' bedroom, the glass protecting the picture inside of the frame cracked into tiny pieces. He knelt down, to clean the mess His Highness had created in a moment of sadness. He was stopped, by His Highness' tearful and angry azure eyes. He understood and left everything alone, as he felt like he was intruding upon His Highness' privacy.

"Goodnight, Ignis."

"Goodnight, Your Highness."

XOXO

However, Noctis couldn't sleep. He was having trouble sleeping for a while now. He just kept tossing and turning in bed. He wasn't able to catch a wink of sleep.

Even so, Noctis hadn't told anyone about his many sleepless nights. This had become a habit of his, to keep everything to himself, to also shut everyone out whenever things became too difficult for him to handle. It's a coping method of his, but his friends and family never saw it as one. He understood their perspective, though they never tried to understand his.

He walked towards the balcony, then. He was taken aback by the night sky, a majestic midnight blue, resembling his eyes. He was always draped in black, as that's the royal color of Lucis, but his favorite color had always been blue. It's color of the ocean, where he would go if he wanted to be alone. It's also the color of his favorite flower, which were sylleblossoms and native to Tenebrae. They couldn't flourish in Lucis, without being invasive to Lucis' natural flora.

He should've saw that as a sign, that his marriage wouldn't be a happy one. His betrothed love another man, who was keeping an eye on him at the behest of his father. "This is yet another night you're awake. You know I'll have to tell His Majesty."

He didn't care, plucking petals off of sylleblossoms. It was a bouquet given to him from Tenebrae nobles, who were visiting and vacationing in Lucis. "I don't mind, Nyx. It's part of your job."

"You're my prince. I care about you," Nyx reassured, his head bowed and a hand placed over his chest, emphasizing his loyalty and allegiance to the Lucian crown. "I just want the best for you."

"Is that right?" Noctis retaliated, sylleblossom petals fluttering off of his palm and onto the Crownsguard patrolling in the Citadel courtyard. The men and women looked up, swiftly saluting when they realized that their prince was the one serenading them. "But I'm marrying the woman you love."

"I may love her, but I know my place."

"What do you love about her, Nyx?"

"She's absolutely radiant, the light of my life."

"I wish I could meet the light of my life."

"You never know, Your Highness. Maybe your paths will cross one day."

"I'm not some hopeless romantic. Even if I met this person, I know I could never be with them."

The streetlamps illuminated passersby, who were joyously jumping outside of the Citadel gates. He was amused, waving at the horde of young boys and girls his Crownsguard were telling to go home. He saw someone among the youngsters, watching them smile and wave back at him. It was a young man around his age who had captured his attention, captivated him with their angelic appearance. It saddened him to see the beautiful blond go, completely tearing his heart apart into two halves.

"They're not screaming anymore, Your Highness. Now that's taken care of, I think you'll rest better at night."

"I don't think I will."

"You can try, Your Highness."

"There would be no point."

XOXO

By the Regalia, Ignis stood silently.

However, Ignis watched from afar. He had witnessed the interaction between Noctis and the beautiful blond from earlier, saw Noctis' face crumble as the object of his newfound love walked off into the darkness. He had been reminded of his conversation with Noctis a few hours ago, when Noctis mentioned Lady Lunafreya and about how they don't love each other romantically. He didn't understand why then, considering Lady Lunafreya and Noctis spent a great amount of time courting each other. It must have been all an act for the media, perhaps even an act to deceive themselves into falling in love. Their actions only tricked Eos, though.

Nevertheless, Ignis looked down. He took Noctis' phone, which had been vibrating nonstop with notifications from various social media apps. He scrolled through messages and comments from Noctis' _fans_, who were wondering when their prince would go live and sing again. He couldn't contain himself any longer, not when his prince's fans were now pleading for a new photo to like and burst into laughter. He was willing to return Noctis' electronic devices, but he wasn't naïve and knew media frenzies couldn't be avoided. He would take that risk, if it meant his prince would be happy again.

He also wanted Noctis to share his talents, his musical genius with the rest of Eos. It would be a waste, a tragedy if Noctis didn't express himself through the musical arts. "What's so funny, Iggy? Why are you laughing so hard?"

He turned around, showing Gladio _fan_ messages and comments. The shield cracked a smile, shaking his head as well. "They just can't get enough of Noct, can they?"

"Well, I know what I'll be doing tonight instead of reading a book," Ignis chuckled, sitting in the driver's seat of the Regalia, with Gladio beside him in the passenger seat. "I get a good laugh out of reading these fan messages."

"I heard from the boys a whole group of them were outside of the Citadel just about now, but I didn't get a chance to see them," Gladio claimed, his eyebrows knitting together, not liking the idea of having such smitten youngsters out so late at night and possibly putting themselves in danger, even Noctis as well. "It's a school night. They should be in bed by now."

"They're not helpless children, just rumbustious teenagers. And I think our prince was quite taken by one of them tonight. If I said he has blond hair and blue eyes and freckles, who would come to mind?"

"You must mean _Prompto_."

"Of course, I mean Prompto."

"I can't say I'm surprised. He always had a crush on Noct, but what about Luna and Noct?"

"I believe those two were practicing the lifestyle of "fake it 'till you make it". They thought if they faked being in love, that they would eventually fall in love with each other. That's not how love works, though."

"I wonder what will happen to them in the future."

"I just hope they don't go through with the marriage, especially if they don't love each other."

"But their union will bring peace."

"It will cost them their happiness."

"It's a necessary sacrifice."

He didn't think Noctis and Lunafreya should be sacrificial lambs, just to bring peace upon Eos. He hoped there was another way to ensure peace, rather than destroying the lives of two young individuals. He looked up at Noctis, watching him clutch the balcony railing and cry. He had seen Noctis do this for a while now, however he would never broach the subject with his prince. It was a private moment of weakness for Noctis, something not meant for his eyes. It was worrying, stumbling upon his prince in such a raw and real moment.

He wanted to help, provide comfort. It was impossible, especially because Noctis tended to shut people out whenever he's upset. The only people who were an exception to that rule was King Regis and Lady Lunafreya, but those times was rare as well.

"I'm not sure if it is."

"I didn't know you were an optimistic."

"And I didn't know you were pessimistic."

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think? Leave me your thoughts.


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